Life in Kosovo recalls World Trade Center attacks on 9/11

This Friday the Life in Kosovo show presents a TV documentary special filmed in New York about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001.

The Life in Kosovo show travelled to New York in order to reveal the different stories and reflections of the city’s inhabitants about the day of the devastating attacks and their aftermath.

How did Americans feel on the day of the attack on the Twin Towers? What consequences did these attacks have for US society? What do they think of the ongoing wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and how do New Yorkers perceive Muslims after the 9/11 attacks?

The Life in Kosovo show is a co-production of BIRN and Kosovo’s public television, RTK. It is broadcast on RTK every Friday, starting at 20:15.

BIRN Project in Albania Underway

BIRN announces the extension of its network to Albania, thanks to the generous support of the National Endowment for Democracy. BIRN’s project, which will run from September 2007 until July 2008, will consist of investigative journalism training and publication.

With this grant, the Network will strengthen the capacity of journalists in Albania to produce high quality reports on key issues in the country and the region. BIRN will also be able to help expand the reach and impact of local reporting on important issues affecting citizens in Albania. The project will consist of training and mentoring activities, thus offering Albanian journalists the opportunity to become familiar with and adopt the established international reporting standards. The project aims to train a group of journalists who will produce insightful and analytical stories of high quality for BIRN’s online regional news magazine, Balkan Insight.

Besar Likmeta will be editor and project manager for Albania. He can be directly contacted at [email protected].

Life in Kosovo Returns to Discussion of Education Quality

This Friday, the television show “Life in Kosovo” gets back to a discussion on the quality of education in Kosovo.

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Key points to be elaborated during the debates are: What is offered by university education in Kosovo? Is the quality of studies better in the University of Pristina or in recently established private universities? What are the values, advantages and disadvantages of university education in Kosovo? Is Kosovo producing enough educated people able to compete with graduates in the region and across Europe? To whom are the private universities accountable for the quality of studies?

Studio panelist discussing these issues and more are:

Luan Ahma – vice rector for academic issues in the University of Pristina; Lindita Tahiri – professor at the University of Pristina; Leon Malazogu – from the Kosova Institute for Policy Research and Development, KIPRED; Ismet Gashi – owner of the private Dardania University Basri Muja – former professor at Dardania University; Edmond Hajrizi – owner of UBT, University for Business and Technology; Salal Ahmetxhekaj – owner of FAMA University Mexhait Reci – owner of Iliria University

“Life in Kosovo” is a co-production of RTK and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN Kosovo, and is broadcast every Friday beginning at 20:15.

Life in Kosovo Talks About Sexual Education

This Friday the Life in Kosovo show will focus on sexual education.

How much are young people and adults informed about contraception and unwanted pregnancies? Do they know how to use contraceptives? Is sexual education needed as a part of the curriculum in Kosovo’s schools, as in western countries? If so, in which grade? Or are we still ashamed to talk about sex in our homes and schools?

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Jeta Xharra’s guests for this show are:

Sueda Hoxha – Gynaecologist and chief of the maternity room in the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo;
Ramush Lekaj – Official from the Ministry of Education, who is in charge of primary and secondary school curriculum;
Linda Gucia – Sociologist,
Besfort Krasniqi – Activist in the NGO “Fisniket” from Prizren;
Lura Limani – Activist and student, who just finished the “Sami Frasheri” high school in Pristina.

The “Life in Kosovo” TV debate, is a cooperation between the public television of Kosovo RTK and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN and is broadcasted every Friday at 20:15.

Life in Kosovo Discusses Justice

During this Life in Kosovo show, panellists will debate the justice system in Kosovo.

Do we have justice in Kosovo? Who has more competences in Kosovo’s field of justice, local or international authorities? Why are cases of custody like Albin Kurti’s case being prolonged? Is Albin Kurti a political prisoner?

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The following panel will discuss these and other issues concerning Kosovo’s justice system:

Kujtim Kërveshi – First Advisor of the Minister of Justice;
Julie Chadborune – International Federation of Helsinki for Human Rights;
Gjylbehare Murati – lawyer from the institution of the Ombudsperson
Ismet Kabashi – prosecutor in the supreme court and also a representative and member of the Judicial Council
Valon Murati – Human Rights Center

And Albin Kurti – leader of the “Vetevendosje!” movement, who is under house arrest, will participate in the debate live via internet connection.

Live in Kosovo is a BIRN organised TV debate, which is broadcast on Kosovo public television, RTK, every Friday beginning at 20:15.

Life in Kosovo Interviews Members of Unity Team

This Friday’s Life in Kosovo show will broadcast interviews with two members of the Unity Team, the prime minister Agim Çeku and the head of Democratic Party of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, who will talk about the resolution of Kosovo’s future status.

The following questions will be raised in the programme: Should Kosovo independence be declared unilaterally? What advice did Kosovo leaders get from the Bush administration? What did US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tell Kosovars and what have Kosovars told her? When will Kosovo declare its independence? What’s the date of Kosovo’s independence? Is there still unity amongst Kosovar leaders? Will Kosovo hold elections this November?

Life in Kosovo is a BIRN-organised TV debate, which is broadcast on Kosovo public television, RTK, every Friday beginning at 20:15.

Balkan Journalism Fellow Participates in Exit Debate

Davor Konjikusic, one of the ten journalists engaged in this year’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence participated in a panel discussion on Friday, July 13, at Novi Sad’s Exit Festival. The debate, which addressed issues such as student travel in EU and the Western Balkans and the availability of EU educational programmes for Balkan countries applying for EU membership, was organised by the Citizens’ Pact for Southeast Europe, EXIT and the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe.

Other speakers at the Friday night event, which was moderated by Goran Svilanovic of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, included:
Janez Potocnik, EU Commissioner for Science and Research
Marijana Grandits, Stability Pact for Southeast Europe
Ana Pesikan, Minister of science in the Serbian government
Jelena Kleut, University of Novi Sad

The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence is an initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. To find out more about the programme and to read the fellows’ blogs, visit [email protected], or contact programme manager Anna McTaggart on [email protected].

Fellows Start Blogging

Research on aspects of Balkan mobility, conducted by ten journalists participating in the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, can be tracked via a new blog section on the programme’s website. As the fellows report at home and abroad, they are to write about their experiences and impressions on their individual pages, posting also photographs and short films. Journalists interested in applying in future years for the Fellowship should find these accounts particularly interesting and informative.

2007’s fellows’ reports, to be completed later this year, will form the basis for selecting one fellow to receive a further award of an opportunity for professional development.

For more information about the fellowship programme, and to read the latest blogs, please visit its website, fellowship.birn.eu.com.

The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence is an initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.

Life in Kosovo Discusses Symbols

This Friday, the Life in Kosovo show will discuss one of the most emotive issues in Kosovo – national symbols.

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When will Kosovo have new national symbols? Who will decide on the issue? Will the symbols have to have a multi-ethnic character, as the Ahtisaari package foresees it? When will we use the new symbols?

The show will provide answers to these and many other questions.

Over 40 flag proposals, which have been submitted to the Life in Kosovo audience, will be analysed during the show.

Panelists in the studio will be:

Muhamedin Kullashi – Philosophy professor from France;
Shkëlzen Maliqi – analyst;
Lirijon Kadriu – designer; and
Nita Luci – anthropologist.

Life in Kosovo is a BIRN-organised TV debate, which is broadcast every Friday, beginning at 20.15 on RTK, Kosovo’s public broadcaster.

Norway to Fund BIRN Regional

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has generously provided BIRN with funding to support its regional programme aimed at consolidating and strengthening teams of investigative journalists across the Balkans during 2007 and 2008.

This significant grant will also help BIRN to develop other network activities to become income generating, with a view to achieving sustainability in the medium term.

The Norwegian foreign ministry supported the evolution and launch of BIRN through 2004 and 2005, and in 2006 supported our first year of regional activities as an independent local civil society initiative.